open-pit

American

[oh-puhn-pit] / ˈoʊ pənˌpɪt /

adjective

Mining.

noting or pertaining to a type of surface mining in which massive, usually metallic mineral deposits are removed by cutting benches in the walls of a broad, deep funnel-shaped excavation.

Etymology

Origin of open-pit

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Rainforest is clear-cut to make way for open-pit mines.

From The Wall Street Journal

It plans to use underground extraction and crushing -- as opposed to an open-pit mine -- and re-inject a large part of the mining residue.

From Barron's

OceanaGold produced 103,500 troy ounces of gold in the third quarter, down from 134,900 a year earlier at 119,500 the prior quarter as open-pit mining at the Haile gold mine in South Carolina focused on waste -tripping activities and the operation relied more on lower grade stockpiles.

From The Wall Street Journal

Bob Dylan wrote several songs about his hometown of Hibbing, Minn., which was moved from 1919 to 1921 to accommodate the Hull-Rust-Mahoning open-pit iron mine.

From The Wall Street Journal

The mine in which the three are trapped is an open-pit copper and gold mine, which was constructed in 2014.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023